Captain Bitch Update
by Elenimou
Summary: Several have PM'ed saying since I had a prologue, I need an epilogue. Let's look in on the Trenton grew several years later. M rating for language, slightly.


**Chapter 17**

 **"I knew I was drowning and I couldn't stop it."**

 **Tank POV**

Stephanie's emergency button on her watch had alerted Rangeman. Immediately four units were sent to the pool but it was outside of Princeton, well out of the 10-minute radius for security response. I wasn't comfortable sending them to a pool outside of our coverage, but it was the only one who would accommodate VC's need. Of course we contacted the local police, but this time they were as delayed as we were. VC's phone recorded what was going on. I cringed each minute we were delayed. When the gun went off and the phone went dead, I prayed we would not find two dead women.

I was not driving, Hal wisely pushed me aside. The Princeton pool is 22 minutes away in the best of times. Today there was a multi-car accident seriously slowing our response and those of the police. This is why we haven't extended into Princeton for emergency response, too far and one road fuck-up puts us behind. The four units slammed to a stop by the pool door. Sirens were heard close behind us. As we ran through the doors, we didn't see the pool manager. It wasn't until later the police found him tied up and gagged in his office by the pool pumps

Entering the pool area with guns drawn we saw two men in suits firing into the water. The men turned when they heard the doors bang against the walls. One screamed, "Drop your weapons." Hal didn't hesitate. He fired hitting the man in the upper chest. Hal never stopped and continued until he had tackled the injured man. The other man fired at me but his concentration was split between Hal and me rushing towards him. He didn't get a chance to fire again before I slammed him to the ground where his head bounced off the decking. Hector and Manny ran to help Hal secure shot man and compress the wound. Junior and Bink came to aid me in securing the unconscious man and the loose gun. Ram immediately jumped into the pool.

Junior realized the unconscious man would not be a problem and joined Ram in the water. Bink was but a moment behind. After I handcuffed my man, Bobby and I remained on the pool deck edge trying to see what was happening in the water.

As Ram dove down, he brushed against Vassi's hand. She was floating on her side, one arm up above with a handcuff dangling from the wrist. Her other arm was tangled in gym bags, lifeguard stand, another handcuff, the wheelchair and something underneath. Ram and Bink pushed the guard stand away while Junior pulled Stephanie from underneath the chair. Ram wrapped his arms around Vassi, Junior had Stephanie and Bink grabbed the chair. Using their powerful legs the three pushed off from the bottom and kicked to the surface. I handed my handcuff key to Bink and the second handcuffs was released. The chair, gym bags, and guard stand sunk to the pool's bottom.

Stephanie's lips were blue. Bobby felt for a pulse and quickly began CPR while Junior began mouth to mouth. Ram remained with Vassi and felt for a pulse, it was weak and thready. "Mouth to mouth, NOW," Ram yelled to me but I didn't need encouragement. Ram continued to monitor the pulse.

With fear in my heart I carefully opened Vassi's mouth, tilted back her head and emptied my lungs unto hers. But her chest didn't move. Taking another big breath I tried again but felt resistance, "She's blocked."

Ram rolled her over, lifted her by her waist and performed the Heimlich maneuver. Water ran from her mouth. He gave her diaphragm another push and more water emerged. After the second squeeze Ram laid her back down and I returned to the resuscitation. With the first breath the chest rose.

Each new breath the chest rose again. We noted blood seeping through the sodden sweatshirt. Ram lifted it and saw the gunshot wound high on the abdomen. "She's got a GSW," Ram called, "Left abdomen." Bink grabbed Bobby's medical bag and rushed to Vassi. He pushed aside the sweatshirt and applied the compress.

It took only a few breaths before Vassi tried to breathe on her own. Coughing and retching water we rolled her to her uninjured side, allowing the water to escape.

Bobby, Junior, and Hector were having a harder time bringing back Stephanie. They switched off positions while the third rested for a few moments. The police and EMT's arrival caught us by surprise. The EMT's took over Steph's resuscitation. Finally one said the loveliest words, "We have a pulse." Stephanie's body responded by trying to expel the water in her lungs.

Bobby rushed to Vassi's side and felt the wound and surrounding areas. "I can't be certain but I don't think it penetrated deeply,"

The man I tackled was still unconscious, but the one with the chest wound was alive, secured, and on his way to the hospital. Bobby went in the ambulance with Stephanie, Ram went with Vassi. I desperately wanted to accompany her but I was the ranking Rangeman at the scene. I had to stay and explain what we heard on Vassi's phone and what we saw when we entered the pool. The two government men's IDs were examined and a sergeant called to the scene moaned, "US Postal Service Inspection Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement? What the hell is going on?"

"Sir," I began, "There's a major corruption scandal breaking in Washington involving a host of government agencies. These two are probably part of the plot. I'd trust nobody outside of your own agency." I was surprised two lower-ranking government agents were involved. Maybe they hadn't yet been identified as being Arturo's spawn.

"I need to call my captain."

"He and your chief may want to avoid talking to the FBI for a while. That's where the scandal began."

-0-

 **VC POV**

"Stephanie?" I croaked. I was dry and warm, probably in a hospital.

"Still in ICU but Bobby said she's coming along."

I didn't ask more, my brain was still foggy. My abdominal bullet wound was not deep. It sliced through muscle but did not penetrate any organs below. It was definitely more painful but not life-threatening. Only one shoulder was dislocated but didn't require surgery.

"Your arm workouts made you more flexible, you've avoided much tissue damage. Still recovery will be slow. If it doesn't heal you may need surgery in the future. For sure you won't be doing sit-ups for a while," Bobby explained. He waited a moment and continued, "I wish you would stay out of hospitals. Just because I'm a medic doesn't mean I appreciate the work."

"That makes three of us," Pierre muttered.

"Are there guards outside my door? I don't want more unwelcome family visitors."

Pierre chuckled, "Rangeman and Secret Service. The President agrees with you. Your father has been apprised of your condition and is waiting to hear your voice, no matter how hoarse you are."

"Did my phone call come through?"

"Loud and clear. That was quite the tale you spun for them. How much was true?"

"I'm not sure. I was throwing out hunches and talking in circles waiting for the cavalry. What took so long?"

Pierre swore, something he rarely does, "Damn fuck-up on the road coming up, cars backed up for miles. Even the police and EMTs were tied up. Your rescuers were from Lawrenceville coming up the back roads."

"I couldn't get to my weapon, I feel like such an amateur. I removed it when we left the car and put it in the bottom of my bag. The bag was already out of reach when they entered the pool. I was trying to delay long enough for Stephanie to escape. Ranger is going to execute me for nearly getting Steph killed."

-0-

Poor Stephanie needed surgery on both shoulders. Instead of going to a rehab center, she was moved to a private home and had round-the-clock nursing. The home belonged to Ranger under an alias. Once she was settled and I was able to get out and about for a few hours, Pierre and I went to visit. Ranger was still among the missing. The situation with Jeanne Ellen and Lee hadn't been resolved.

"Steph, I need to apologize, I nearly got you killed."

She took it well. "I should have bolted out the door when you gave me the chance but I didn't want to leave you alone. I also thought about getting your weapon out of the bag at the beginning and again when that man made you put them on your arm, but he was always watching."

"Maybe it was for the best. The gun's weight took us down faster out of their range. Even if I had pulled it out after unlocking the first cuff, I'm not sure I could have hit him from underwater. I was trying to get the second handcuffs unlocked first. Too much to do….." I was getting depressed. Pierre put his hand on my shoulder. He understood soldier remorse.

"We both screwed up our shoulders. You know what the worst part is?" Stephanie said trying to cheer me up.

I smiled, "Bathroom. I can't push myself out of the chair and you can't move your arms."

"We are pathetic."

I nodded. "Look on the bright side, you won't be stuffing your face with preservative chemicals and sugars and gaining weight. Bobby has designed a delicious and nutritious menu to help you heal."

"I can get doughnuts to my mouth just fine. Plus I know someone who loves apple fritters," she shot back.

"Yes, once or twice a year, not several times a week. Stephanie, neither of us is getting younger. Our bodies change after 35. We are entering the second half of our lives, we can't be abusing ourselves the way we did in the past. Now is the time to build up and maintain."

She looked contrite. Maybe she would change her diet and start working out. Miracles happen, we were two examples. Of course we both needed to stay away from crazies and hospitals.

As Pierre and I turned to leave I casually said, "If Ranger continues to hide out here, he's going to have to remember to put his morning smoothie glass in the dishwasher."

Stephanie mumbled something like, "Don't you miss anything?"

As Pierre helped me into the vehicle, he was chuckling, "Eagle-eye."

"How long have you known he was there?"

"He was at the house when she arrived from the hospital."

-0-

The fall-out from FBI Arturo continued. There were a fair number of new positions available in Washington. The Supreme Court had a vacancy due to the sudden death of one of its members. It wasn't a natural death, SIGSW, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Several congressmen and senators came under investigation for taking Adelante bribes. For certain they would not be running for reelection. Hearings would last for years. The media loves a good scandal.

Not only was Washington experiencing sudden resignations, federal, state, and local civil servants especially in the Northeast, but were also suddenly resigning. Police departments in major cities found themselves looking for chiefs or assistant chiefs. Birth certificates became important for hiring as well as promotions. The fact Mr. Gun, later identified as Kevin Turlot and Hugh Sanchez were enforcement officers in lower level government agencies showed how deeply Arturo had placed his offspring.

Rangeman was down two employees. Gerald and Thomas were gone. Thomas left suddenly without notice soon after the pool incident. The stress was too much for him. Between his father's instructions and other siblings' dictates, plus the harassment from the Rangeman men for "losing" the Colonel, he had to run.

Working from home, Stephanie, located him in a remote part of the state. SGM Perkins and the local police took him into custody. A call from SGM Perkins was sad, "He'll never be the same. He's completely mentally broken. He might get help but there's a good chance he'll end up broken permanently and living under a bridge. He was not one of Arturo's stronger sons."

"Can't we help him?" I asked thinking back to Ranger calling Thomas a good soldier.

"He needs to want to get better."

Soon after Thomas ran, Gerald went into Tank's office. SGM Perkins appeared and took the Rangeman away. I didn't expect to hear from Gerald, but he asked the SGM if I would talk with him.

When I could again get around Gerald was sitting quietly in a room surrounded by US Marshals. "You want to speak to me Mr. Bennet?" I asked.

"Colonel, I want to apologize to you," he said honestly.

"I'm not the only one you should apologize to. Stephanie, Ranger, Hector, Silvio in Miami and all the Trenton Rangemen were affected by your actions. You have been working off-site for months trying to break into Rangeman's mainframe. Plus you put explosive devices in the Server Room. How many Rangemen were you willing to kill just to eliminate a computer?"

"You knew?"

"I've known from the very beginning. Over a year ago Silvio saw your father's pathetic attempts to overpower Rangeman's mainframe. Rangeman knew about your bugging the building soon after, long before I showed up. Hector played with you, finding some devices, ignoring others.

"When I came to Rangeman and started investigating, you and Thomas were among a half dozen employees I suspected from the beginning. You and your two computer-hacking siblings in Washington DC were occasionally led into dead ends to throw you off the trail. I don't know if you or the FBI planted the explosives but by then we pretty much knew who you all were and what you were trying to do. Destroying the computer room at Rangeman was useless. Everything had been moved off site. Of course we knew you'd bug the vehicle Thomas as driving."

"I didn't know you were going to be kidnapped and injured. I wasn't told that would happen."

I'd let him think that was his father's plan, not ours. "Yes and then Stephanie and I came within a hair of being shot and drowned thanks to two more of your siblings. When Jean Ellen and Lee were murdered by your half-brother, Ranger had to go into hiding to remain safe before your father did to him what he nearly did to me and Stephanie. "

"Gerald, I'm not playing a martyr. Since I was 13 my life has been filled with physical and mental pain, well beyond what you can imagine. I've learned the body can repair most everything, not all, but most. It's the mental damage that is hard to overcome. I can sit in ashes and cry out to God, "Why me?" Or I can _metaphorically_ stand up, brush off what has happened and move back into the light. I've found goodness and happiness will return, they always have, but I have to want it and work back into it."

"My father was...insane."

"I would have added a few more adverbs, but yes, he was a megalomaniac. His insanity bled over to others either by genetics or association. His insanity led to an unknown number of people being killed including his own children."

"I knew he was wrong and I knew he had people killed. I was frightened."

"Gerald, your bugging Rangeman plus your hacking attempt were the sparks that ignited the explosion. The Lorenz Chaos Theory also called the Butterfly Effect may have originally been applied to meteorological events, but they apply here too. If Gregory Simpson had kept his penis in his pants years ago in a bar in the Philippines, I wouldn't be here."

Gerald looked confused, "Was he one of my siblings?"

"No, he wasn't related to you. His father, Senator Simpson was a friend of your fathers and co-conspirator. Gregory Simpson became Arturo's main investment manager.

"Thirteen years ago I was a freshly-minted MP Captain supervising two MPs responding to a call of rowdy Army Rangers in a bar. Tank, Hal, Ranger, and Simpson were part of the rowdy group. For actions that day I was severely punished by order of Senator Simpson through a corrupt Army general paid with your father's money. For years I was down the rabbit hole so often I tried to kill myself. I recovered and then met another disaster," I said waving at my wheelchair. I wanted to die again. Tank had recently returned to my life and talked me into giving life one more chance. For all the bad years, I'm finally seeing the light."

"My coming to Trenton was to find out why Rangeman was bugged. Once I caught a whiff of what was happening, many people in several countries have been working together to bring down Arturo Estripe before his evil plan went into effect.

"So you weren't out for revenge?" He asked.

Shaking my head no, "No Gerald. I didn't discover Arturo/Aries and the Simpson connection until well into the investigation. I was trying to discover why someone had singled out Rangeman."

"So you and Tank are close because he saved your life?"

"Twice and again at the pool. Now it is your turn to talk. What were your instructions regarding Rangeman?"

After talking for several hours, he was brittle. One more nudge from me and he'd shatter like his brother Thomas.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"Gerald, I don't know. Legally it will take time to sort. For sure I'd get one hell of a defense attorney."

-0-

One afternoon as I sat on the Rangeman gym bench trying to coax more controlled movement in my legs with the elastic bands, Tank came in, "Ready to call it a day?"

"May we finish it with a dance?" I held up my hands to him.

He reached down and lifted me carefully to my feet holding me under my arms. I had been standing, with support for several days mostly as a transition to and from the chair.

He nodded, "You lead."

I carefully shifted weight from one leg to another trying to coax each foot off the ground. In time the feet came up and moved forward...and then backward an inch or two. I could only move to the right, not the left. "It's no foxtrot," I smiled. I did a couple more steps before I realized the gym was crowded with Rangemen. Everyone had a big smile and finally broke into hooting. Bobby came over, "May I cut in?"

"You want to dance with Tank?"

"Smart ass," he smiled.

I didn't feel as confident in Bobby's arms. Tank was supporting me. Bobby wanted me to stand more on my own. Plus he was carefully watching my feet. When he allowed me to sit and rest, he flicked off my shoes, rotated my feet, tested my reflexes, "You know what this means?"

"I need a pedicure?"

He decided to play along. Looking over my feet he said, "Yeah, you really do need a pedicure. But this also means it's time for long rides on the exercise bike."

I smiled broadly. The stationary bike and treadmill were two of my goals. If I could control the legs enough to start rebuilding the muscles, I'd walk. Maybe not elegantly, but I'd walk. The other Rangeman guys in the gym came and hugged me. They too understood this was a giant step, literally. So I began pedaling to nowhere for hours at a time.

-0-

Lee Sebring suddenly appeared in Newark with US Marshals. An anonymous tip from an untraceable source pinpointed his location at the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand. He refused to say how he got there.

The security camera's recording showing Lee and Ranger in a conference at the time Jeanne Ellen was slain was turned over to the Newark police, a copy was sent to the White House via diplomatic courier.

The Newark police were reluctant to accept the video was authentic. They tried hard to discover if it was cobbled together to show Ranger's innocence. The district attorney was starting to prepare murder cases against Carlos Manoso and Lee Sebring.

Several days later two additional US Marshals brought one Juan Diego Escalante aka _El Fantasma_ back from solitary confinement in Jamaica. Everyone assumed he was Carlos Manoso but when they looked again, Juan Diego did have the correct skin tone, height, and similar facial features, but the body wasn't as well developed, the walk wasn't as smooth. Juan Diego professed innocence but DNA taken from the house where Jeanne Ellen was slain had a McDonald's soda cup and fries box in the trash behind the house with Juan Diego's prints. This had never been revealed to the FBI as the Newark police were insulted the FBI tried to horn in on their murder investigation. When Juan Diego learned there was proof on video that Carlos Manoso had a solid alibi, he began to waver. It wasn't until DNA evidence proved Juan Diego was the half-brother of Jeanne Ellen and son of Arturo Estribe that he confessed. His curses for his father were memorable. Somebody thought to check Ricardo Carlos Manoso's DNA stored with the US Army and it showed he was not related at all to Arturo.

Carlos Manoso was cleared of all charges, the investigation dropped, but that didn't let Lee Sebring off the hook. He put his brother in harm's way. Suddenly the investigation stopped. The President of the United States issued Lee Sebring a blanket pardon for all yet to be determined offenses and offered condolences. Lee left New Jersey. He needed to put as much space between him and the pain endured in Trenton; the loss of his brother, deaths of Jeanne Ellen and the baby plus the continual gossip from the idiots in the Burg. Only a few of us know he returned to Newfoundland with his new identity. We wish him a quiet life.

 **-0-**

With all charges against Ranger dropped, he still had not appeared in Trenton, Rangeman or any of the other Rangeman facilities in Boston, Atlanta, and Miami. For that matter, Stephanie Plum had not been seen since being released from the rehabilitation facility. While the Core Team and I knew where they were, rumors through the Burg had her running off with Carlos Manoso, living on the lam. The fact charges were dropped didn't matter to the narrow-minded Burg gossipers.

Every time Helen Plum talked to Tank, she was told Stephanie was in a rehab away from Trenton. Pierre pleaded with Stephanie to call her mother. The rants were getting ugly.

I was with Stephanie for moral support the day she called her mother. Steph put the call on speaker so I could listen to the abuse she had endured for years. Helen urged her daughter to return to Joe Morelli. Stephanie smiled and mocked her mother with hand gesters as the woman ran on and on. When Helen began to run down, Stephanie let her have it with both barrels.

"No way in Hell am I going back to Joe Morelli or any other Burg idiot you drag from the trash, mother. As is so typical, the Burg is living on lies and misinformation. If you were to talk to Angie Morelli you would know Joe is no longer with the Trenton Police. He told his mother he was tired of her's and the Burg's stupid and racist gossip and he needed to straighten up his life. He accepted a transfer to Baltimore. He left two weeks ago. As for me, I too am finished with your gossiping."

"I don't gossip. People want to know," she choked out as if she was caught drinking liquids. Steph had told me her mother and JackD were close friends.

"What they want and what they have a right to know are in different universes. As a parent it was your job to protect me from those sharp tongues. Instead you participated in shredding my self-worth so you could garner others' sympathy. 'Poor Helen, she has that awful Stephanie as a daughter.' You never supported me. You pushed me into being something that was not me. I've moved on, away from the Burg, away from the small minds, away from the Burg racists who condemn everyone and everything that isn't like them. It took Joe a long time to realize that he too needed to leave to gain a life."

"But they are my friends…"

"Who call you a drunken shrew behind your back. They call Grandma Mazur crazy because she prefers to live her life with gusto instead of hiding behind perfectly clean windows. Daddy is referred to as the pathetic old man who virtually lives at the Lodge to avoid his wretched wife. You are laughed at behind your back by those you consider your friends. I've never wanted your pathetic, miserable life. No wonder you are a drunk. You aren't kidding anyone with your ice teas. Your breath gives you away each time you open your mouth. Whatever time I have left I'm going to live it with joy with a man whose skin color isn't lily white, who isn't Italian, who eats vegetables, and who legally carries a gun. It is not your concern if we marry or not or if we have children or not. If we do have children, you will not destroy them the way you are destroying Valerie's girls demeaning them the way you did me. You may never meet them at all."

Helen sputtered, "Why you ungrateful…."

"Yep, I'm ungrateful for the way you and the Burg have treated me. All of you berated me because I was not the perfect Burg Barbie. When I needed love, you told me I was an embarrassment. You hide behind the Burg's wall of racism and bitchery. I wanted to grab life, to fly, be something other than a Burg prisoner. It hasn't been easy, but with the people I've met who are now my dear friends and a fair bit of psychological counseling, I am finally free to be me, not a captive of the Burg Way. You will never understand what it is like to live life fully, discovering a world beyond Hamilton Avenue. I know no reason why we need to talk further." Stephanie ended the call.

"Do you think she listened?" I asked.

"I really don't care anymore. I hope to be a role model to girls who want to fly free. As I told her, whatever time I have left I'm going to live it with joy and Ranger."

I smiled, "Sounds like you two are working towards a common goal. I wish you the best."

 **-0-**

I had ear buds in so didn't hear my brother enter the gym. "Niko! What a surprise."

"Are you pushing the pedals or is the machine rotating them for you?" His eyes continued to watch my feet.

I moved my feet away from the pedals allowing the rotation to slow, replaced my feet and began pedaling faster.

His eyes grew wide, "You are controlling your legs?"

"Yep and I can walk now like an old lady." I pointed to a walker, "Please."

Slowly I transitioned from the bike to the walker and showed him I could walk but still needed help with balance.

" _Doxa a Theos"_ (Glory to God) he whispered in Greek as he hugged me tightly and actually sobbed.

I nodded, "And to my family and Rangeman family who wouldn't let me give up even though I wanted to."

I pulled back, "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing you, but why are you here?"

"Command performance...there," he said as he tipped his head.

"When?" As twins we often spoke in single words.

"Within 48."

Yeah, Ari was a hurry-up guy. "Trinket?" It was our nickname for medals and awards.

"Maybe."

"State?" Was this to be some formal gig where I'd need to be in uniform or formal attire?

He shook his head no. I wasn't surprised. Syria would forever remain hush-hush.

The location was a remote Israeli Army base, underground assembly room that doubled as a lunchroom. The last time I was in this room, I was headed to Syria.

Those in attendance were dressed in military desert camo or civilian casual. At first glance it looked like a typical gathering for a meal. Everyone there was a member of Mossad.

I was wheeled in by Tank who stood behind me. My father and brother were next to me. Ari excused himself from a group and climbed onto a dining table and began speaking in Hebrew. Only Tank couldn't understand but he remained at parade rest. As Ari got to the gushing part about my helping Israel over the years I glanced at my brother who winked back. When Ari said my name he climbed off the table and began walking towards me, I gave him the standoff sign. He stopped confused. Tank had shown security men the walker held a folded walker at the back of the chair. He set it in front of me. "Lord don't fail me now," I prayed quietly and stood slowly. Once I was secure I slowly walked to Ari who still had the deer-in-the-highlights look. He stepped forward and hugged me and I believe wept into my neck. I could sense Tank behind me in case I started to falter. As I turned I saw my father crying. I had to shut my eyes lest I too began the waterworks. Cheers were echoing through the room.

Niko came forward and together with Pierre and two other security men I was lifted onto the table. When the noise stopped, my words of gratitude spilled forth. I stressed continued vigilance and strength. What I said wasn't that much different than what others have spoken but the gratitude was deeply embedded...literally for my life twenty plus years before in Egypt and again when my team dug through building rubble to rescue me, and of course the scientists and physicians, therapists who developed the experimental medical procedure.

Almost as quickly as everyone assembled, they dispersed. There were ghosts defending their country. Tank, Niko, and a security man helped me down, Ari hugged me again, "My daughter, again you surprise me." He then was whisked away by his security force. Maybe a dozen men were left, security for Papa, Niko, Pierre, and me.

Papa turned to Niko, "Did you know?"

"Yes, she wanted to make an impact."

"She damn near gave me a heart attack." With that he wrapped his arms around me holding me up, "I never stopped praying."

"Keep on praying, Papa. I'm not running marathons. Right now getting across the room is a big deal."

"Vassi, I know you. You will push forward."

He was still holding onto me while I simply said quietly, "Yes Papa, you know me better than I know myself.

 **-0-**

Without warning Ranger returned to Rangeman announcing his arrival by barking "Report" as he stepped from the elevator onto the Command Floor. While everyone was relieved to see him again, there was a quick "Hooah" from the Army guys, a few "Oorah" from the Marines and the Navy SEALS got in their "Hooyahs." It all sounded the same. Immediately they returned to work as he expected.

Lester was the floor supervisor. "All quiet overnight, no alarms. There is a new client meeting at 13:00. Three employees are out with food poisoning after dining at a questionable food cart by the river walk. They are expected to return to work in 48 hours. We are also two employees short as Gerald and Thomas have left."

Ranger knew about Gerald and Thomas but growled nonetheless. He then looked around the fifth-floor interior, "Repainted?"

"Hector and several others volunteered to help Luis repaint the control room and offices giving everything a fresh new look. They so liked their work, they did several other floors or individual apartments."

Ranger understood this was code that the listening devices were totally gone.

Seeing Tank's office door open Ranger growled, "Where is Tank?"

He and VC were called out suddenly thirty hours ago. All they said was they'd be dark for a while."

"Is it a medical situation for the Colonel?" Ranger asked.

"Unknown."

Ranger looked worried, "So no idea when he'll return?"

At that moment the elevator door opened and Pierre helped VC out. She was using a walker.

Lester looked up and said, "I'd say about now."

 **VC POV**

I was better with the walker. Initially, Pierre was certain I'd tumble backward so he stayed close. Now he was more relaxed. Pierre had told me Ranger was due back today and was probably on the Command Floor, so seeing him rush towards me was expected. I figured he'd give me a beat down for nearly killing Stephanie.

"Colonel, there seems to be some change here."

"Yes, sir. I'm enjoying seeing the world from this altitude again. I'm slow moving around now but expect to pick up speed. You've been missed."

Suddenly he embraced me and kissed me. Judging from everyone else's expression, this was an action only taken with Stephanie. I wasn't sure of the reason but I noticed he was beginning to relax. Perhaps this was the first time Ranger had been relaxed since the bugging incident. How many others knew the bugging extended throughout much of the building, not just my room? The Core Team would need to discuss the events, how much to tell the staff, and then work with Bobby and a psychologist in setting up counseling and stress release activities so the entire staff could meld back together.

Ranger took my hand and looked down, "I thought you might have skipped out and gotten married."

"We are working on it. I want to be able to walk down the aisle a bit more gracefully, maybe with only a cane. Bobby thinks it won't be long now. Plus we wanted you and Stephanie there. While you can't be the _koumbaro_ as you aren't Orthodox Christians, Stephanie can be my maid or matron of honor depending on her status. Speaking of marriage Manoso, when are you going to _git 'er done?_ "

Ranger laughed. "Maybe you two need to show us the way."

This was the first time Ranger had even hinted marriage was in their future. It was a big step! "We will gladly drag you down the aisle with us."

Later that day Pierre and I were chatting during dinner when he looked up, "Only three more weeks before we wed."

I pushed my salad around the plate, "Church bureaucracy is worse than the Army. Bishops need to sign off on the certificate. Remember, I did ask if we were going to Las Vegas."

"We had an investigation to finish. This is fine. Are you sure you don't want a big affair?"

I shot him a glare worthy of one of Stephanie's Jersey-girl glares. "Between my family and your guests from here, our list is under 50 people. Maybe we could just rent a bowling alley and bowl a few lines?"

He shook his head, "You are impossible. We will have a small dignified affair."

"Better leave Lester home."

He barked a laugh, "You have become a Rangewoman."

"You mean I've got a job?!" I kidded.

He chuckled, "Yes, Hector has asked that you be allowed to stay working with us. He has some ideas for a new division. We'll discuss it later. Meantime, where do you want to go on a honeymoon?"

"Pierre, you've taken so much time away from work to help me, I think we can forgo or delay any long excursion. While your house is wonderful, could we have at least a couple of nights in New York?"

"The Plaza?"

" _Oui Monsieur Jacquez."_ I loved the anonymity portraying his wife.

"Do you want to do any shows, restaurants, or concerts?"

"I'll let you choose. My first choice is to soak with you in that huge tub again and second is to spend days in that glorious bed."

"We can have a giant tub put in the house or better yet, build a new house around the tub or even add an indoor pool. I will admit a bigger bed might be a good idea too."

"I take it a nursery is out?" I asked with hope.

"I think you are about as much as I can handle, Sweet Lips."

#

 **A/N** Thank you all for riding along with this different story. When I began, I had no idea where we'd finish. Thanks go to all you readers for your encouragement and questions which often helped me clear up or rethink sections. My biggest thank-you goes to my Beta reader Kathy who tries to keep me literate. While I have another story ready to go...a near totally Babe story...I'm giving my poor Beta a chance to recover as we pushed this story out quickly.


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